Awards

Author & Director Stacy Poulos, Creative Excellence Telly Award in one hand, and tell all book Life In A Nut Shell in the other.

 

The 29th Annual 2008 Telly Awards
Like the Emmy's honors television productions, and the Oscar's honors movie productions, the Telly Awards is the premier award honoring the very best outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, and the finest film and video productions. Silver Winners are awarded a Silver Telly statuette, the highest honor, the statuette is a symbol of creative excellence. Designed by the same firm that makes the Oscar and Emmys.

Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

Silver Winners:
The 29th Annual Telly Awards received over 14,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Less than 10% of entries are chosen as Winners of a Silver Telly, their highest honor. Some of the 2008 silver video/film winners include: A&E, Discovery HD, Comcast, History Channel, ESPN, National Geographic Channel, 20th Century Fox, SONY, NASA, NBC Universal, PBS, Virgin Records, Fox, CNN, Sports Illustrated, CBS, Time Life, Time Warner Cable, Warner Bros., and one producer from a small town, Castro Valley California; Director Stacy Poulos of Playback.net Video Film Multimedia. Stacy was among those honored with the Telly's highest silver award for creative excellence.

The Video Entered: The Story of CARH
The video entered was her production for a non-profit organization, CARH-Inc.org, entitled "The Story of CARH". This video highlights the over 30 year history of an organization that helps an under served population in our community, the mentally retarded and elderly in placement, who are often forgotten. This touching story illustrates the hard work and dedication of ordinary people helping an extraordinary cause. Stacy's Castro Valley company, Playback.net (established in 1984) followed the organization over a period of a year and condensed it in an entertaining 15 minute video of their organization. The story was told by vintage train conductor, Larry Kriegbaum who takes the viewers on the Niles Canyon steam train in Sunol, California, through a year in the life of CARH. The story ends with a touching song donated by the artist Kym Jessing "The Mountain In Me" which was so fitting for the part.

The Book: Life In A Nutshell & Stacy Poulos
As she worked her way to the top it wasn't always an easy road, she wrote a few stories along that journey that turned into books. One that you can order on line at: www.StacyPoulos.com "Life In A Nutshell". Or pick it up in person at a coffee shop she frequents, Bodi's Java in Castro Valley [click]. The book is a humorous account of her struggles in life, of sibyl rivalry, going to college, starting and maintaining a business on a shoestring budget, driving shitty cars, and surviving relationships. Including growing up with a Learning 'Disability' or Learning Difference, Dyslexia. She was sure she was going to pull out of every shortcoming and these were just little set backs before she made her way to the top. Well at the top of her game with a Telly in one hand and the author two books in the other, I suppose she did.

 

Her life long struggle with Dyslexia & ADD:
In her quest to become a director, in 1991, her former elementary school Special Ed teacher asked her to mentor her dyslexic students, there she saw a lot of kids hungry for inspiration and some validation. She told them about famous dyslexics who shared their challenge, such as her favorite; Einstein had a hard time in school until he found a teacher that appealed to his learning style.

Advocate for the assts of dyslexia: Dyslexia.tv
She went on to be an advocate for the assts of dyslexia, learning disabilities, and ADD, as she grew up with the challenges, she also realized they were her strongest assets in become a director, or an 'Award winning director'. When the web evolved, in 1997 she published her story "Blessed With Dyslexia" on line free to the public. She coined the term "multi-dimensional freethinking" as an explanation to dyslexia, Thinking without boundaries, and with tendencies. Other assets include; the ability to visualize thought as a virtual reality, multi perspective, day dreaming, logic driven, creative thinking and heightened sensory awareness involving: emotions, outer influences, empathy, sight, sound, taste and smell. Their awareness is like being little human antennas that pick up all kinds of information, educators call this ADD, the tendencies is they have a difficult time grounding themselves. Dyslexics have a hard time with Non-visual words like "the" and letters that have different meanings when in different orientations like b, d, p, and q are usually the first stumbling block for young dyslexics. It's not seeing backwards, as most people think dyslexics do, it's visualizing them and having the ability to think multi-dimensionally. To her was the same letter.

Because most visualize multi-dimensionally. It certainly doesn't make them 'disabled'. Some dyslexics and ADD students don't understand how to channel or ground their assets or even realize they have them because they are burdened with a negative labeled. And Traditional educators don't know quite what to do with these little gifted minds because they learn differently.

Her website Dyslexia.TV and FreeThinkersUniversity.org has enlightened so many people around the world, from a small town Castro Valley. "It's remarkable to me, the web has opened up so much ability to inspire millions. The hundreds of letters, I received have always inspire me to keep going." Stacy Says. She attracts 5,000 to 10,000 visitors monthly from all over the world.

Client list:
She certainly learned to channel her assets in her media production company for clients such as Andronico's, Dryers Ice Cream, KRAFT Foods, and PG&E to name a few. She believes she is good at what she does because she is unique in her thought process. Something that was a burden in the obstacles of school, is an asset to her clients and the rest of the world today. 

Her quote against the odds:
"Determination is like spilled water flowing on a mission, it doesn't stop until it reaches its goal. It doesn't always know its being pulled by an invisible force manifested by gravitation, the human spirit. The direction isn't always as relevant as its missions journey that survives obstacles, because of the compelling pull of gravitation to its destiny. A journey that has no end, because it resides in the heart and soul. -Stacy Poulos

Support her client: www.CARH-Inc.org
As an ending note she hopes that people will support CARH who serves the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano and Sacramento, a worthy charity... you decide, watch the video she made which can be viewed on line at www.CARH-Inc.org or ask them for a DVD. There are many ways that you can help, such as a house hold recycling program as is shown in "The Story of CARH.